Since the moment Gil had decided to leave for the free district, everything had been a whirlwind, the days passing with dizzying speed. In his anger he had punched the priest, but then, confused as to why no one scolded him for attacking an authority figure, the hot-blooded youth had agonized over the possibility that they might drive him out of this haven he had worked so hard to reach. He feared the reprimand would come the next day, or the next, but instead there was a big commotion when some merchants arrived, and the morning after that he got word to show up for his labor assignment.
So it was that Gil found himself at the town hall. Within the main doors was a large open space, in which newly arrived residents were lined up at four reception desks. He joined one of the queues, and before long his turn came.
A small, thin Nurabehn was sitting behind the desk. “You’ve got a good build. Good stamina, too, I expect. Fisherman, warrior… Not bad lookin’ either, might be able to use you as a merchant. Which would you prefer, young fella?”
“Which… Uh… Huh? I get to choose?”
“That’s right, you get to pick your own job here, use whatever skills you’ve got to make yourself useful to the community. But look, we are a little short on manpower. Might be that a strapping lad like you wants to darn clothes, but we’re passin’ such work on to the ones who aren’t so strong.”
“Right… Makes sense. So, what’d you choose to end up here?” Gil asked him, more out of curiosity than anything else.
The man behind the registration desk tapped the bridge of his nose with his pen and squinted. “That’s a good question… Y’see, back when I first arrived, there was even more of a labor shortage… Guess you could say everybody was just doin’ whatever they could, and before I knew it, this had become more or less my specialty. I’ve always liked making lists and registers and whatnot, and I enjoy knowin’ who’s doing what and where all our people are assigned.”
“I don’t think I’d be any good at that…”
“And I don’t have much in the way of muscle. That’s the whole point. So what’ll it be? What do you want to do?”
“Umm─”
“Gil! What do I do?! What job do you think I’d be good at?!”
Someone grabbed his arm, and a startled Gil looked down to find Jiji, whom he hadn’t seen since they’d arrived in the free district the day before. The boy had a document clutched nervously in his hands.
“Well…what did they recommend?”
“Lemme see… Seamster, or a merchant or something.”
“Merchant? You too?” Gil turned back to the Nurabehn behind the desk.
“We’re short of ’em, apparently,” the man explained. “Seems to be some huge plan in the works, somethin’ that’ll really catch the Exinov off guard.”
“Isn’t that going to be dangerous?”
“You bet your britches it’ll be dangerous! The head honchos of the free district are talkin’ war with the Exinov… But listen, you saw them gatekeeper popsicles up there above the city, didn’t you?!”
“Yeah, I saw ’em…”
“Exciting stuff, ain’t it! The world’s gonna change! We’re gonna change it! When I think about how my doings might end up in the corner of some history book someday, makes me wanna ask for a way more dangerous assignment.” The man shrugged. “But at this point it would be a huge hassle to train someone up to take over for me. Been doing this since I got here. And it’s satisfying work, don’t get me wrong. Look, I report directly to the guy who rides the dragon, you must’ve seen him. Boy, can he be a surly one. Blunt as hell! See, he was the one who did this job before me, but he caused so many problems that the priest had to chew him out.”
“The priest… You mean the one with the blindfold?” Gil asked.
“That’s the fella, the one who brought you here.”
“Is he more important than someone who rides a dragon?”
“It’s not about hierarchy, apparently. I was frightened, too, an’ I couldn’t help but ask him if he should really be scolding the dragon-rider. And whaddaya think he said?”
“Uh, I dunno…”
“He said I needed to ‘rethink the connection between status and reproach’… Said he’d even punch a king if the guy was outta line!”
Gil frowned─just yesterday he had punched the priest. Does the fact that he didn’t reprimand me mean he was resigned to taking the blow? That he knows he made a mistake? It didn’t seem as if the priest felt much in the way of remorse for what he’d done, though.
“He’s not my favorite person…” Gil said.
“You’re not the only one! He’s not exactly the most approachable guy!”
“You would rather I smiled and put my arm around your shoulder?”
Suddenly the priest was standing beside the Nurabehn as if he’d been there all along. The man shrieked and nearly toppled over backward in his chair, but the priest steadied him without a word.
“Father…! Y-You shouldn’t go eavesdropping on people like that.”
“You seemed quite wrapped up in your conversation─and the line isn’t moving.”
“Gah! Uh, right then, young fella! What’ll you do for work?”
“Can I pick mine at this desk, too? I want to work with Gil.”
Gil looked down at Jiji, then at the priest. “Hey, I…I did punch you yesterday, you know.”
“…And what of it?”
“I mean, now you’re gonna give me some super dangerous assignment as punishment, right?”
“No. Ordinarily in such cases you would be arrested, confined, and sentenced at trial.”
“Nhh…?! What…?!”
“Is this news to you? It’s the customary administrative way of dealing with crime.”
“Well… I mean… I get that, but…”
In Gil’s village, someone who committed a crime was taken into custody by the volunteer watch and brought before the chief, who decided their punishment.
“Unfortunately, the blow you dealt me was delivered outside the bounds of the free district. Your act cannot be judged by the laws of this place. That is why I suggested anyone who wished to do so ‘take the opportunity’ to strike me as well.”
“But you’re one of the people in charge here, right? So you can do whatever you want, no matter what the laws are!”
The priest let out a deep sigh. “No, I cannot. If I could, those rules that govern us could not rightly be called laws. And were I prone to anger over such trifles, I would never have let you hit me in the first place.”
“Then why did you let me?!”
“Because I thought you simple-minded enough that it would serve to settle you down.”
“You son of a─!”
“Whoa, s-stop it, Gil! If you punch him inside the free district, you’ll get arrested!”
At Jiji’s panicked insistence, Gil lowered his raised fist.
“You are also strong, able, hot-blooded, and courageous to an extent that some might call reckless, given your willingness to raise a hand to those you see as authority figures.” The priest rubbed his forehead in thought. “Care to give it a try?”
“Huh? Give what a try?”
“The special mission our friend here spoke of. The one that will really catch the Exinov off guard. You wouldn’t be working directly under the merchant Seth, however─I will be in charge of the operation.”
“Ooh, me! I’ll do it!” Jiji raised his hand before Gil could speak, leaning forward eagerly. Gil tried to stop him, but the boy let go of his arm and ran over to the priest. “I want to go on the mission. Is it something I’d be able to do?”
“W-Wait a minute! I’ll go, too!” Gil hurriedly stepped forward, feeling somehow as if Jiji was trying to steal some important task out from under him.
The priest nodded with satisfaction and collected the documents the two of them were holding. “Then I will be in touch with you in due course. Next,” he called out to the people waiting in line, and a moment later, he was gone.
+++
“Right then, let us assess the situation.”
On the second floor of the town hall was a cafeteria that also served as a meeting room. Zero was in the process of stuffing her face with one of Mercenary’s massive, gravy-drenched sandwiches as she surveyed the map spread out on the table before them. There were seventy-seven pins stuck into it, forty-seven of them white and thirty of them black.